Bicycle
the short guide
to start cycling now

It’s time to start cycling to work! With the whole world social distancing it’s high time to start cycling. But even aside from this frightful pandemic, riding a bike to work is one of the best decisions you can make! To get you in the right mood for the rest of the article, here are 4 awesome reasons you should change your commute to cycling:

1. Health

Maintaining a regular workout is hard. It doesn’t have to be! If you ditch the car or public transport, you can get 2 cardio sessions per day without wasting any of your valuable free time. After around a month of cycling to work you will start to feel more fit, your body (especially if you live a relatively sedentary life) will feel more toned and you will overall feel healthier and more alive.

2. Money

A car is expensive. All that money for gasoline, motor oil, maintenance, repairs and parking. Cycling to work can save you serious money. Estimates go up to 9.000 $ in the US per capita per year.

3. Time

If you are moderately fit, cycling to work can actually save you time. Traffic jams, roadblocks and parking spot searching in your car, canceled or delayed trains and buses and overcrowded subways for public transport – you can skip all of that with a bike. Never mind the stress reduction. And depending on your fitness level for commutes of up to 8 kilometers you will often be faster if you ride a bike.

4. Happiness

Numerous studies have shown, that regular exercise reduces stress and alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. But cycling can lift your spirits in even more ways. The ability to hop on your bike and using your own body can give you an enormous feeling of accomplishment, that a car can never give you. Additionally cycling triggers in many people an intense sense of freedom. Can you still remember biking in your childhood? Finally ditching the training wheels and riding your bike to school? Cycling to work can let you relive these experiences! And finally: cycling will make you more mindful. You will start to notice birds singing, the feeling of cold, warmth, the wind rushing past you. There are simply less distractions on your bike.

Let’s get you started

Buy a bike and cycle away. Sounds easy enough. Still, many people are being held back by a number of questions:

• Which bike should I buy?
• Am I fit enough to cycle to work?
• Do I need additional gear?

Let’s tackle each question individually to get you started!

Which bike should I buy?

Especially if you are shopping online, the variety of models and names can be absolutely overwhelming. An overall good tip is: shop local. The little bike shop near you needs customers and they can provide you just the expertise you need and save you hours of reading up online. But a good starting point are the three basic bike types: mountain bikes, road bikes and city bikes/hybrid bikes. The distinction comes from the type of surface you are planning to ride on. Mountain bikes are pretty self-explanatory: rough terrain, forest and mountains. If you plan on riding mostly in the city your really don’t need a mountain bike. Road bikes are built for maximum speed and performance on sealed roads. If you haven’t ridden a bike in years, these expensive high-tech machines are probably not suited for you either. That leaves us with city bikes and hybrid bikes. These bicycles are designed for sealed and unsealed roads, commuting and fitness. Especially if you are starting out, our big tip would be don’t spend too much thought on your first new bike. In the end they all roll along nicely.

Do I need additional gear?

Speaking of buying a bike, do you need any fancy additional gear? The easy answer is: probably not. Aside from a good helmet (just do it) most of the specialized gear and clothing is only for aficionados and professionals. And if you do fall in love with cycling, most additional purchases will come naturally at a time. Say you ride to work every day and catch the first rainy days. You will start to crave weatherproof cycling gear.

Am I fit enough to cycle to work?

You haven’t gotten off the couch for years? No problem! Casual cycling is a relatively low intensity activity. And you can choose your own tempo. Just start slowly and don’t overdo it. Still, we got some tips for absolute newbies:

• Don’t compare yourself!

This is probably the single most important tip for you. Just ignore people going faster than you! Don’t try to match their speed or pedaling frequency! Just find your own rhythm, listen to your body and find the spot that is comfortable for you.

• Move!

Try to be active on your bike. Change your body position, move your hands, roll your shoulders. Most of the starting pains of cycling come from keeping a position for too long.

• Shift these gears!

You have gears on your bike for a reason. Use them! Try to always stay in a comfortable zone, not peddling like a lunatic on flat surfaces, not struggling against the gear on rises. Cycling is all about fluidity.

• Brake smart!

Even experienced cyclers might not know: the front brakes will stop you faster and harder. So try to use the back pads first and then slowly add the front brakes.

Enjoy yourself

As with most things in live: try to enjoy yourself. Cycling is awesome, cycling to work is a beautiful thing, but only, if you can enjoy yourself. Don’t push it, don’t force yourself. See it as a little adventure you are going on. We hope we inspired you.